Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2008
New model for learning ultrasound-guided needle to target localization.
The acquisition of technical skills for the novice learner presents challenges for students and teachers alike. With the introduction of ultrasound techniques in regional anesthesia, there has been interest from residents, fellows, and staff to acquire the skills necessary to incorporate this technology into their everyday practice. However, as both ultrasound machines and commercial target models are inherently costly, there are often issues of accessibility that may affect the opportunity to learn the desired skills. ⋯ This report presents an inexpensive, variable complexity model for learning ultrasound-guided needle-to-target localization.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2008
The sensitivity of motor response to needle nerve stimulation during ultrasound guided interscalene catheter placement.
Neurostimulation during single shot interscalene block has a significant false negative motor response rate. Compared with tangential needle approaches for single shot block, interscalene catheter (ISC) placement commonly involves Tuohy needles inserted longitudinally to the brachial plexus. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity of neurostimulation during ultrasound-guided ISC needle placement, and the feasibility of an ultrasound-guided ISC needle endpoint. ⋯ This study suggests that the false negative motor response rate for longitudinal ISC needle placement is higher than the false negative response rate associated with tangential needle approach interscalene block. An ultrasound guided ISC needle endpoint is a feasible alternative to a neurostimulation endpoint.